Sports and the Outdoors

Mt. Cass Walkway. Here's a moderately strenuous way to wear off some of those wine- and lunch-induced calories. This three-hour return climb up Mt. Cass produces a spectacular view over the surrounding countryside of the Waipara Valley. As it crosses through working farmland on the Tiromoana Station, be careful to leave gates and marker posts as you find them. Use the stiles provided for crossing fence lines and wear strong walking shoes. The track is closed each year in spring while the sheep are lambing. Mt. Cass Rd., Waipara, Canterbury, 7483. www.visithurunui.co.nz. Closed approx. Aug.–Oct.

Hurunui Hotel. Built from limestone blocks, the Hurunui Hotel, New Zealand's oldest continually licensed hotel (since 1860), refreshed weary drovers bringing sheep down from Marlborough. There are seven quaint rooms in this stagecoach-style hotel. A bed for the night is relatively cheap (NZ$45 per person, including a cooked breakfast), and the restaurant with its old-fashioned pub serves à la carte dinners including a succulent fillet steak from NZ$21 and an all-day menu from NZ$10. Wednesday night is pizza night. You can dine in the pub, where there is a roaring fire in winter, or outside in the tree-lined beer garden. State Hwy. 7, about 20-min drive from Waipara turnoff, 1224 Karaka Rd., Hurunui, Canterbury, 7385. 03/314–4207; www.hurunuihotel.co.nz.